Timothy Dwight IV
| birth_place = Northampton, Massachusetts | death_date = January | death_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | alma_mater = Yale College | spouse = Mary Woolsey | children = Sereno Edwards Dwight }} Rev. Timothy Dwight (May 14, 1752 - January 11, 1817) was an American poet and academic, a Congregationalist minister and theologian, and prose author. He was the 8th president of Yale College (1795–1817). Life Overview Dwight, born at Northampton, Massachusetts, was a grandson of Jonathan Edwards; Dwight became a Congregationalist minister, professor of divinity, and latterly president of Yale University. His works include, besides theological treatises and sermons, the following poems, America (1772), The Conquest of Canaan (1785), and The Triumph of Infidelity, a satire, admired in their day, but now unreadable.John William Cousin, "Dwight, Timothy," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910, 126. Web, Jan. 9, 2018. Youth Dwight was born at Northampton, Massachusetts. His father, Timothy Dwight, a 1744 graduate of Yale College, was a merchant, and his mother was the 3rd daughter of Jonathan Edwards. He was remarkably precocious, and is said to have learned the alphabet at a single lesson, and to have been able to read the Bible before he was 4 years old.Britannica 1911, 741. In 1769 he graduated at Yale College, and then for 3 years taught in a grammar school at New Haven. Career He was a tutor in Yale College from 1771 to 1777; and then, having been licensed to preach, was a chaplain for a year in a regiment of troops engaged in the War of Independence, inspiring the troops both by his sermons and by several stirring war songs, the most famous of which is “Columbia.” From 1778 until 1783 he lived at Northampton, studying, farming, preaching, and dabbling in politics. From 1783 until 1795 he was pastor of the Congregational church at Greenfield Hill, Connecticut, where he opened an academy which at once acquired a high reputation and attracted pupils from all parts of the Union. Dwight was well known as an author, preacher, and theologian. He and his brother, Theodore, were members of a group of writers centered around Yale known as the "Hartford Wits.". From 1795 until his death at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he was president of Yale College, and by his judicious management, by his remarkable ability as a teacher — he taught a variety of subjects, including theology, metaphysics, logic, literature and oratory,— and by his force of character and magnetic personality, won great popularity and influence, and restored that institution to the high place from which it had fallen before his appointment. Religious leadership Dwight was as notable for his political leadership as for his religious and educational eminence. Known by his enemies as "Pope" Dwight, he wielded both the temporal sword (as head of Connecticut's Federalist Party), and spiritual sword (as nominal head of the state's Congregational Church). He led the effort to prevent the disestablishment of the church in Connecticut — and, when its disestablishment appeared inevitable, encouraged efforts by protégés like Beecher and Bacon to organize voluntary associations to maintain the influence of religion in public life. Fearing that the failure of states to establish schools and the rise of "infidelity" would bring about the destruction of republican institutions, he helped to create a national evangelical movement — the 2nd "Great Awakening" — intended to "re-church" America."Timothy Dwight IV," Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation. Web, Jan. 9, 2017. In 1809, Dwight was introduced to the Hawaiian-born Henry ʻŌpūkahaʻia by his relative Edwin W. Dwight, a student at Yale. ʻŌpūkahaʻia, a 17-year-old boy orphaned at the age of 10, had arrived in New Haven after being given passage from Hawaii by New Haven resident Captain Caleb Britnell. Dwight agreed to tutor ʻŌpūkahaʻia, who later became instrumental in establishing Christian missions to Hawaii. In 1810, Dwight became a founder of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, which launched its first mission to Hawaii in 1819 under Hiram Bingham. Scholarly accomplishments Dwight was a founder of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences and Andover Theological Seminary. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1797, and was also an early member of the American Antiquarian Society, elected in 1813.American Antiquarian Society Members Directory Posterity He had 8 sons: Timothy Dwight (1778–1844), a New Haven merchant and philanthropist; Benjamin Woolsey Dwight (1780–1850), a New York physician; educator and theologian; twins James Dwight (1784–1863) and John Dwight (1784–1803); Sereno Edwards Dwight (1786–1850); clergyman William Theodore Dwight (1795–1865); Henry Edwin Dwight (1797–1832),de:Henry Edwin Dwight an educator and author; and one who died young. Dwight's grandson and namesake, "Timothy Dwight the Younger" (1828–1916), served as Yale's president, 1886-1899. His nephew, Theodore Dwight Woolsey (1801–1889), served as Yale's president between 1846 and 1871. Another nephew was Theodore Dwight (1796–1866), an author and journalist. His wife, Mary Woolsey Dwight, died October 5, 1845. Death Dwight died of prostate cancer, and was buried in New Haven's Grove Street Cemetery. Writing In verse he wrote an ambitious epic in 11 books, The Conquest of Canaan, finished in 1774, but not published until 1785; a somewhat ponderous and solemn satire, The Triumph of Infidelity (1788), directed against Hume, Voltaire and others; Greenfield Hill (1794), the suggestion for which seems to have been derived from John Denham’s Cooper’s Hill; and a number of minor poems and hymns, the best known of which is that beginning “I love thy kingdom, Lord.” Many of his sermons were published posthumously under the titles Theology Explained and Defended (5 volumes, 1818-1819), to which a memoir of the author by his sons, W.T. and Sereno E. Dwight, is prefixed, and Sermons by Timothy Dwight (2 volumes, 1828), which had a large circulation in both the United States and England. Probably his most important work, however, is his Travels in New England and New York (4 volumes, 1821-1822), which contains much material of value concerning social and economic New England and New York during the period 1796-1817. Recognition Dwight's 1785 poem The Conquest of Canaan is considered to be the 1st American epic poem.Ehrlich, Eugene and Gorton Carruth. The Oxford Illustrated Literary Guide to the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1982: 54. ISBN 0-19-503186-5 He received honorary degrees from the College of New Jersey in 1787 and Harvard College in 1810. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1797, In the 20th century, Yale named Timothy Dwight College for him and his grandson.Bergin, Thomas G. Yale’s Residential Colleges: the First Fifty Years. Yale University, Office of University Development. 1982. In 2008, The Library of America selected Dwight's account of the murders of Connecticut shopkeeper William Beadle for inclusion in its 2-century retrospective of American True Crime. Publications Poetry *''The Conquest of Canaan: A poem, in eleven books. Hartford, CT: printed by Elisha Babcock, 1785; London: Johnson, 1785. *''The Triumph of Infidelity: A poem. London: J. Mathews, 1791. *''Greenfield Hill: A poem, in seven parts. New York: Charles & Swain, 1794. *''The Major Poem. Gainesville, FL: Scholars Facsimilers & Reprints, 1969. Non-fiction *''Virtuous Rulers a National Blessing: A sermon. Hartford, CT: printed by Hudson & Goodwin, 1791. *''A Discourse on the Genuineness and Authenticity of the New Testament. New York: printed by George Bunce, 1794 **also published as The Genuineness and Authenticity of the New Testament. Hartford, CT: Peter B. Gleason, 1838. *''A Sermon, Preached at Northampton ... occasioned by the capture of the British Army''. Hartford, CT: printed by Nathaniel Patton, 1781. *''A Discourse, on the Genuineness and Authenticity of the New-Testament''. New York: printed by George Bunce, 1794. *''The true means of establishing public happiness : a sermon''. New-Haven, CT: T. & S. Green, for I. Beers, 1795. *''A Discourse, Preached at the Funeral of the Reverend Elizur Goodrich, D.D.'' New Haven, CT: printed by T. & S. Green, 1797. *''The Duty of Americans, at the Present Crisis: Illustrated in a discourse''. New Haven, CT: Thomas & Samuel Green, 1798. *''The Nature and Danger of Infidel Philosophy: Exhibited in two discourses''. New Haven, CT: R. Edwards, 1799. *''A Discourse ... on the character of George Washington. New Haven, CT: printed by Thomas Green, 1800. *The Folly, Guilt, and Mischiefs of Duelling: A sermon. Hartford, CT: Hudson & Goodwin, 1805 **also published as ''A Sermon on Duelling. New York: Collins, Perkins, 1805. *''A Sermon Preached at the Opening of the Theological Institution in Andover. Boston: Farrand, Mallory, 1808. *The Dignity and Excellence of the Gospel: Illustrated in a discourse. New York: J. Seymour, for Howe & DeForest, New-Haven / Andrew T. Goodrich, 1812. *A Statistical Account of the City of New Haven. New Haven, CT: Connecticut Academy of Arts & Sciences, 1811. *A Discourse in Two Parts ... On the public fast. New Haven, CT: Howe & Deforest, 1812. *''Theology: Explained and defended in a series of sermons. (5 volumes), Middletown, CT: privately published, printed by Clark & Lyman, 1818-1819; London: William Baynes, 1821. Volume I, Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV, Volume V *''Travels in New England & New York''. (4 volumes), New Haven, CT: privately published, 1821 Volume I, Volume II, Volume III, Volume IV **(edited by Barbara Miller Solomon). Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1969. *''Sermons''. New Haven, CT: Hezekiah Howe / Durie & Peck, 1828. Volume I, Volume II *''A Treatise on the Sabbath. London: Religious Tract Society, 1830. Edited *Isaac Watts, ''The Psalms of David: Imitated in the language of the New-Testament, and applied to the Christian use and worship. New Brunswick, NJ: printed by A. Blauvelt, 1804. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Timothy Dwight 1817, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 9 2016. See also *The Hartford Wits *List of U.S. poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Jan. 9, 2017. * * * Berk, Stephen E. (1974). Calvinism versus Democracy: Timothy Dwight and the Origins of American Evangelical Orthodoxy. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon Books. * Cuningham, Charles E. (1942). Timothy Dwight, 1752-1817. New York: Macmillan Company. * Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. "Timothy Dwight" in Yale Annals and Biographies, III, 321-333. *Dowling, William C.'' Poetry and Ideology in Revolutionary Connecticut'' (University of Georgia Press, 1990) ISBN 0-8203-1286-X * __________. "Timothy Dwight" in American National Biography, Oxford University Press, 1999. *Dwight, Timothy, Memories of Yale Life and Men, 1903. *Fitzmeir, John R., New England's Moral Legislator: Timothy Dwight, 1752-1817, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 1998. *Hall, Peter Dobkin, "The Civic Engagement Tradition," in Mary Jo Bane, Brent Coffin, & Richard Higgins, Taking Faith Seriously, 2005. *Howard, Leon, The Connecticut Wits, University of Chicago Press, 1943 *Olmsted, D., "Timothy Dwight as a Teacher." In American Journal of Education, V (1853), 567-585. *Parrington, Vernon Louis, The Connecticut Wits, Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1926. *Silverman, Kenneth, Timothy Dwight, Twayne Publishers, New York, 1969. *Sprague, William Buell, Life of Timothy Dwight in vol. iv. (2nd series) of Jared Sparks's Library of American Biography, 1856. *Tyler, Moses Coit, Three Men of Letters., G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1895. *Wells, Colin, The Devil and Doctor Dwight: Satire and Theology in the Early American Republic, University of North Carolina Press, 2002. ISBN 0-8078-5383-6 *Wenzke, Annabelle S., Timothy Dwight (1752–1817), E. Mellen Press, Lewiston, New York, c. 1989 Notes External links ;Poems *"Greenfield Hill" Part II: The Flourishing Village, Part IV: The Destruction of the Pequods ;About *Rev. Timothy Dwight (1752-1817) at English Poetry, 1579-1830 * * . Original article is at: "Dwight, Timothy" Category:1752 births Category:1817 deaths Category:American theologians Category:Clergy in the American Revolution Category:Deaths from prostate cancer Category:Presidents of Yale University Category:Yale University alumni Category:Hartford Wits Category:Burials at Grove Street Cemetery Category:Cancer deaths in Connecticut Category:Epic poets Category:Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Category:Members of the American Antiquarian Society Category:Historians of New England Category:Writers from Fairfield, Connecticut Category:18th-century American poets Category:American male poets Category:Jonathan Edwards family